Sony Pixel Power calrec Sony

Bigsmack Tests Your Mind And Eyes with New Brain Games Promo Campaign For National Geographic Channel

24/04/2013

Right on the heels of three extraordinarily successful projects -- garnering record breaking ratings for their clients -- BIGSMACK unveils a new promo campaign for the National Geographic Channel. The energy-packed, mind-tickling campaign for the channel's newest series Brain Games broke earlier this week in anticipation of the series launch on Monday, April 22nd at 9 p.m. (ET/PT).

Under the creative leadership of Founder/Head Creative Andy Hann and Senior Creative Director Matt Hall, BIGSMACK collaborated with National Geographic's in-house creative team to complete the creative concepting. BIGSMACK wrote, produced, and created extensive CGI and graphics for the new launch campaign. http://www.bigsmack.tv/work/nat-geo-brain-games/

Hosted by Filmmaker and TED Talks icon Jason Silva, the new television series will use illusions, mind games and interactive experiments to reveal the inner workings of the human brain. Each episode of Brain Games will explore a different topic. These will include attention, fear, perception, sense of time and memory. Silva is a self-professed wonder junkie, who has spoken widely about neurology, the human brain, and technology. The timing of the show is perfect, as President Obama announces a broad new research initiative to invent and refine new technologies to understand and map the human brain. Silva is joined on Brain Games by The Gentleman Thief Apollo Robbins, a deception specialist.

National Geographic Channel has been a great, long-term client of ours, says BIGSMACK's Hann. We worked on the promo for the Brain Games special last year, and it was so popular and successful that Nat Geo decided to turn it into a series. We were thrilled when they came back, and asked us to work on the promo campaign for the new series. We have a very collaborative relationship with Nat Geo. They really utilize us as a collaborative creative agency, and we work very well with their in-house team. They have a great deal of creative trust in us, which we really appreciate. This was a hugely fun campaign for the BIGSMACK team to work on. One of the biggest challenges was the research that we needed to do in order to find fun, and thought provoking examples of brain puzzles and teasers; as well as the choreography of the spots which required the cameras, experiments, and the on-screen talent to be in sync. Many of the shots were all done in one-take, which was quite a feat.

Hann shared the director's chair on set with BIGSMACK's Senior Creative Director Matt Hall, since a great deal of the work was done in CGI and post, after the studio production wrapped. The series host, Jason Silva, is renowned for his ability to improv, explains Hall. So we gave him an outline, but he added a lot of the material on his own while we were shooting. Because of the improv, most of the CGI/effects were added in the postproduction phase, without a lot of pre-planning. The creative process was truly an evolution, with BIGSMACK working with the in-house team at Nat Geo. At every stage, something new was added on-screen, continually making the spots that much better, and leading to a great end result.

Due to the outstanding success of promo and show launch campaigns created and produced by BIGSMACK in the last 6 months, the team has been hard at work in the studio. I couldn't be more proud of the quality of work that continues to come from Andy and our BIGSMACK team says Head of Marketing Andrew Kobliska, The idea generation is endless, and this team truly understands how to create a successful campaign for our clients.

Credits:

Project: Multi-spot promo campaign for the launch of new series Brain Games

Client: National Geographic Channel

SVP/Group Creative Director: Andy Baker

CMO: Courteney Monroe

Design Director Marketing & Creative: Carla Daeninckx

Director Ad Sales & Cause Marketing: Allison Mitchell

VP Creative & Consumer Marketing: Emanuele Madeddu

Producer: Valerie Carrillo

Talent: Jason Silva

Agency, Production & Post Company: BIGSMACK/New York & Philadelphia

Head of Creative: Andy Hann

Senior Creative Director: Matt Hall

Head of Marketing: Andrew Kobliska

Executive Producers: Heidi Erney, Kevin Lahr

Senior Producer: Rich DiNublia

Senior Writer/Producer: Laura Gillespie

Production Coordinator: Meg Hughes

Director: Andy Hann

EFX Director: Matt Hall

DP: Andrew Turman

Line Producer: Larry Schwartz

Design/Animators: Jason Harmon, Rick Malwitz

Graphic Artist: Dan Hoffman

Editor: Mark Farkas

Mixers: Bob Schachner, Mike Taylor

Colorist: Janet Falcon

Music Production Company: Edison Music Corp/New York

Composer: David Baron

(original music score, promos only)

Freelance Composer: Bix Sigurdsson

(original music score, RIFF only)

About BIGSMACK:

BIGSMACK is an award-winning entertainment marketing agency filled with writers, directors, producers, editors, designers, animators, and brand strategists. We are more than 100 strong, occupying creative, design and production space in New York City and Philadelphia.

http://www.bigsmack.tv

###
LINK: http://news.creativecow.net/story/871421...
See more stories from creativecow

Most recent headlines

05/01/2027

Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be demoed at CES 2026

Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...

02/11/2026

Just Women's Sports' Haley Rosen on the Need To Keep Fans Connected as Momentum Grows

The founder/CEO says new app combines JWS content and scoreboard with real-time ...

02/11/2026

US College Basketball Season Kicks Off in Rome with Villanova v Notre Dame Doubleheader

The men's and women's Villanova and Notre Dame basketball teams will get...

02/11/2026

CONMEBOL Renews GRUP MEDIAPRO Deal Through 2030

CONMEBOL has renewed its trust in GRUP MEDIAPRO, which will continue at the helm of the CONMEBOL Hub's end-to-end operation through 2030, producing and dist...

02/11/2026

WTA, TikTok Expand Global Effort With Dedicated GamePlan Experience

Building on the growth in women's sports, the dedicated sports-content initiative aims to enhance fan engagement and content creation The WTA (Women's ...

02/11/2026

UNA Sports Group Leads Investment in The Curling Group

UNA Sports Group has led an eight-figure investment round in The Curling Group (TCG), with participation from Relay Ventures. TCG is the company behind the Gran...

02/11/2026

Sony To Launch RIALTO 65 Camera Extension System for VENICE 2

Sony Electronics will launch the RIALTO 65 Camera Extension System (CBK-6510XS) for the VENICE 2 CineAlta camera. It is expected to be available in the first ha...

02/11/2026

ESL One Heads to Munich for April 2027 Dota 2 Tournament

ESL FACEIT Group (EFG) has announced that ESL One, its Dota 2 tournament series, is coming to Munich, Germany, from April 4-11, 2027. ESL One Munich 2027 will b...

02/11/2026

X Games Names Paul Asencio Chief Revenue Officer

X Games has appointed Paul Asencio Chief Revenue Officer, effective Nov. 9. He will lead global partnerships, sponsorship sales and commercial revenue strategy ...

02/11/2026

Cloudbass Tests Software-Defined Remote Production With SSL System T Virtual Tempest Engine

UK outside broadcast specialist Cloudbass has completed a proof of concept for s...

02/11/2026

Tubi to Simulcast Two MLS Decision Day Matches on Nov. 7

Tubi and Major League Soccer will stream two Decision Day matches live and free on Saturday, Nov. 7, in the U.S. The games are Inter Miami CF vs. Charlotte FC a...

02/11/2026

Grand Slam of Curling Adds DAZN for International Coverage

The Grand Slam of Curling (GSOC) has signed a multi-year media agreement with DAZN. DAZN will carry live and on-demand GSOC and Rock League action free outside ...

02/11/2026

WTA and TikTok Announce Global Content Partnership

The WTA and TikTok announced a global content partnership to expand how fans discover and follow women's tennis through player-led storytelling, creator con...

02/11/2026

RTL News Upgrades Cologne Audio Control Room With Lawo mc96 and IP Infrastructure

RTL News has rebuilt Audio Control Room TR 1 at its Cologne headquarters around ...

02/11/2026

Behind the Mic: Ernie Johnson To Leave Inside the NBA After 2026-27 NBA Season; Golf Channel Shares 2026 Optum Golf Channel Games Roster

Behind The Mic provides a roundup of recent news regarding on-air talent, includ...

02/11/2026

Pliant Technologies Returns as SVG Sponsor With New Production-Oriented Tech

VP, Global Sales, Gary Rosen describes an expanded product line that enhances the company's sports focus The pain of parting is nothing to the joy of meet...

02/11/2026

Celemony add Arianna Powell to Tonalic library

Latest virtual session musician announced The latest expansion for Celemony's Tonalic library centres around Arianna Powell, a session guitarist whose p...

02/11/2026

VEMIA's 63rd auction

7-14 November 2026 VEMIA's latest vintage gear auction is set to take place between 7-14 November 2026, and will be followed by their Second Chance Sund...

02/11/2026

Blox Rack from Pine DSP

Combines six processors with LFOs, envelope follower & macros Pine DSP's latest offering brings together a set of six virtual processors, houses them in...

02/11/2026

Rohde & Schwarz presents a new generation of DC power supplies with five interconnectable channels

Rohde & Schwarz presents a new generation of DC power supplies with five interco...

02/11/2026

Rohde & Schwarz at Euronaval 2026: Turning platforms into tomorrow's networked fleet

Rohde & Schwarz at Euronaval 2026: Turning platforms into tomorrow's network...

02/11/2026

Rohde & Schwarz welcomes the publication of the ITUs Spectrum Monitoring Handbook, 2026 edition

Rohde & Schwarz welcomes the publication of the ITUs Spectrum Monitoring Handboo...

02/11/2026

Dakar 2026 First Olympics Event to Deploy Fully Virtualized MCR

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

02/11/2026

France Tlvisions Deploys Grass Valley-Based ST 2110 IP Franceinfo Facility

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

02/11/2026

NAB Opens Nominations for 2027 Technology Awards

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

02/11/2026

Is Your Facility AI-Ready? Rethinking 24/7 Resiliency and Infrastructure

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

02/11/2026

MOQ Standard Promises More Efficient Streaming, Less Latency

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

02/11/2026

Who's Really Watching?

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

02/11/2026

Blackmagic Design Launches UltraStudio Express HD

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

02/11/2026

Lightware Strengthens Small Meeting Room USB-C Connecti...

Lightware is highlighting two practical, value-focused solutions for organisations equipping smaller meeting and collaboration rooms: the Taurus SCX-2x1-HC60 st...

02/11/2026

Sky News expands Arc XP partnership for a next-generation app and website

UK's biggest commercial news app to put video and personalisation at its heart as part of Sky News 2030Monday 2 November 2026 Sky News expands Arc XP partn...

02/11/2026

Keeley Hawes joins Izuka Hoyle in second series of Sky Original action thriller Prisoner

Production begins with Solly McLeod and David Dawson also joining the cast, with...

02/11/2026

Fox Corporation Reports First Quarter Fiscal 2027 Financial Results

Fox Corporation Reports First Quarter Fiscal 2027 Financial Results NEW YORK, NY, November 2, 2026 - Fox Corporation (Nasdaq: FOXA, FOX; FOX or the Company...

02/11/2026

WELT TV and SES Extend Multi-Year Satellite Distribution Agreement

SES and WELT TV have renewed their partnership in a new multi-year agreement for satellite distribution in Germany. Running into the next decade, the agreement ...

02/11/2026

BUSTED: New RT three-part documentary series goes inside Ireland's biggest drugs busts

Monday, 2 November at 9:35pm on RT One and RT Player BUSTED is a new three-pa...

01/11/2026

Waldorf announce the Crema

Latest compact instrument revealed Another compact instrument has just been added to the Waldorf line-up, and this time around the focus is on string ensemb...

01/11/2026

Park Street Post Software updates AAF Player and AAF Look

Park Street Post Software has updated its two macOS utilities for picture-to-sound AAF turnovers. AAF Player 1.2.0 lets sound teams audition a turnover and expo...

31/10/2026

Rapid Flow launch drumGRID

Combines powerful sequencer with classic drum machine samples Rapid Flow's latest release puts their sequencing expertise to work in a powerful new virt...

31/10/2026

Audioscenic: Binaural technology update

Reproducing spatial binaural audio over speakers In April 2025, we ran some news on Audioscenic, a UK-based company who specialise in delivering binaural au...

31/10/2026

Sonnet Announces Compact Three-Slot Thunderbolt 5 to PCIe Card Expansion System

Sonnet Announces Compact Three-Slot Thunderbolt 5 to PCIe Card Expansion System Brie Clayton October 31, 2026 0 Comments Echo SE III T5 Connects Three...

31/10/2026

ITU Updates Handbook on Precise Frequency, Time Systems

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

31/10/2026

House Members Push for Anna Gomez's FCC Renomination

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

31/10/2026

FOH Productions Deploys Riedel MediorNet Artist and Boler...

Riedel Communications today announced that live event production company FOH Productions has built a portable camera switching and control flypack that uses Rie...

30/10/2026

The Approval Click: What Live-Production Review Really Catches

A highlight clip goes to air after a person says yes. What would it take to say how often that yes had to be earned? Andreas EhstandA common design for automat...

30/10/2026

Ratings Roundup: Brewers' Clincher, Record NBA Tip-Off, Chiefs-Seahawks Hits Primetime Season-High

SNF's Chiefs-Seahawks leads the week with 26.3 million, Prime Video's Pa...

30/10/2026

GRUP MEDIAPRO To Rebrand as Imagina in 2027

The company aims to be more horizontal and not vertical' in managing sports rights and producing events GRUP MEDIAPRO has begun charting a new course that...

30/10/2026

USA Sports To Crown WNBA Champion in Historic Game 7, Capping Inaugural Season With Expanded Production

Player mics, an in-arena drone, enhanced replay operations, and a full onsite pr...

30/10/2026

What to Watch: 9 Sundance Institute-Supported Documentaries About Farming the Land and Fighting for a Sustainable Future

By Ramona Flume Each harvest season brings a sense of renewal and possibility. ...

30/10/2026

Wicker Spins Social Norms and Marriage Tropes Into a Charming, Comedic Fable

(L-R) Peter Dinklage, Alexander Skarsg rd, and Olivia Colman attend the Q&A for Wicker by Eleanor Wilson and Alex Huston Fischer, an official selection of the...

30/10/2026

BangZilla release Wave Theory

Creates melodies from wavetables BangZilla is the new plug-in division of The Audio Programmer, and their debut offering comes in the form of Wave Theory, a...